I work in a building where a mass shooting recently occurred. I was not there when the shooting occurred, but easily could have been. The entire situation has rattled me and my mental health is declining. (I already struggle with clinical depression and multiple anxiety disorders). The company I work for is deeply flawed and problematic, and I’ve been pushing myself to just hold on and keep going for months. Well, this shooting was the last straw. I have surpassed the limit of what I can take, I no longer feel safe in that building, and my fears of being a victim of a mass shooting have increased.
So you know what I did? I finally asked my employer what options there are for me. I told them my mental health is declining and I cannot be in the building. I asked if I could work remotely. Most of my job (not all, but most) can be done remotely, even if my boss is too old fashioned to accept that reality.
But, they said no and started talking about how they understand if I can’t return to the office but that they’d really appreciate it if I could help find my replacement…my boss deliberately used vague language to where I can’t tell if they’re firing me, or if they’re trying to get me to say I’m resigning.
So I replied and asked for clarification on what this means as far as my employment.
Waiting on a response….
I just…. I’m just so annoyed and depressed it has to come to this. They immediately decided to throw me away rather than try to accommodate me. I didn’t expect much better, but a small part of me thought they might be willing to let me work from home, even if temporarily.
Like I said…. the position and company were problematic to begin with, and once they see all the problems that exist because I’m no longer there to try to clean them up, they may wish they had considered remote work an option. Because ain’t no way a new person is going to be able to fix everything. It would be easier for them to let me work remotely.
Ah well. People are gonna do what they’re gonna do. I have to look out for me.